English Bridge Union

The English Bridge Union, commonly known as the EBU, is a membership-funded organisation which promotes and organises the game of duplicate bridge in England. With offices housing some twenty staff at Aylesbury, it is affiliated to the European Bridge League and the World Bridge Federation.

The EBU is owned by thirty-nine county associations, the proportion that each owns (that is, their shareholding) being determined by the number of individual members in each county. The county associations elect annually a board of ten directors, including a chairman and vice-chairman, and meet with the board three times a year to assist in determining policy. The shareholders also elect an honorary treasurer and three committees which are accountable to the EBU board; each committee has seven elected members.

History

The British Bridge League (BBL) had been operating from 1931, and many local associations and clubs became affiliated to it. For instance, in Yorkshire there is documentary evidence of Halifax, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and East Yorkshire being under the BBL umbrella.

In those days, public perception of card games complicated the establishment of venues for bridge events, as illustrated by the Yorkshire Evening Post in March, 1934: “On the grounds that bridge is a game of chance, the police have banned a bridge congress which some 1,500 players were to have taken part in at the Grand Hotel, Harrogate, later this month.”

Thankfully, the police softened their attitude the following year and the BBL was able to hold the inaugural Yorkshire Congress. The organising was later taken on solely by the Yorkshire CBA.

Meanwhile at national level the Scottish Bridge Union had been formed in 1933 and the Welsh Contract Bridge Association in 1934. However, there was still no EBU, although more area associations were formed - in Yorkshire and the North East in 1935, quickly followed by the North West, and in 1936 those three areas indicated their willingness to join together to form a single Northern Association within the BBL.

Although the Northern Associations were prepared to join together, Scottish and Irish representatives refused to meet on equal terms with any body but a national (and democratic) organisation. As such, it was decided to form an English Bridge Union, composed of the three Northern Associations, a proposed London association and as many County associations as could be formed.

The EBU was formed on 23 May 1936, and at the second meeting of the council on 12 June it was minuted that there would be eight constituent area associations - North Eastern, North Western, Yorkshire, West Midlands, North Midlands, Eastern Counties, London & Home Counties and South Western.

Unfortunately, the BBL and another existing national organisation, the British Bridge Association, continued to operate in England restricting the development of the EBU until, during the 1939/40 season, the EBU regrouped within a structure similar to today’s with the counties directly involved.

As the war approached, a council meeting was arranged in July 1939 where discussion was made about the articles and memorandum of association of the English Bridge Union Ltd. Afterwards the old EBU was clearly disbanded because after a gap in the minute book we find “the minutes of the newly constituted English Bridge Union” on 15 March, 1940. At this meeting, for the first time, delegates attending were shown as representing individual counties rather than regional Associations.

At the first full coun­cil meeting of the restructured EBU, held in March, 1940, the counties men­tioned in the min­utes as being repre­sented or giving apologies were Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Derbyshire, Devonshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, London, Middlesex, North East, North West, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Salop, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Yorkshire.

During the war there was no national bridge activity but by 1945, seven counties had been reformed: Gloucestershire, the North East, the North West, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire. By 1946 the number of formed or reformed associations rose to 19. However, because the EBU was still disorganised a newly formed organisation called the Tournament Bridge Association was created. This new association successfully organised events and congresses, including the Crockfords Cup and the Lederer Memorial Cup. However both parties very quickly realised that a uniformed body for duplicate bridge was required, and thus lengthy negotiations took place with the two groups over 1946, until finally all TBA members joined the EBU. The Counties now doubled to 38.

The first of the specialist committees to emerge was the Selection Committee, established on 28 March 1937. The Tournament Committee was brought into being on 8 June 1945 and the Laws and Ethics committee followed on 1 April 1947.

In 2008 much of the evolution the EBU experienced in the 20th Century is still apparent. The English Bridge Union Limited (EBU) is still a membership-funded organisation committed to promoting the game of duplicate bridge and is now made up of 39 constituent County Associations each with nominees holding shares. [English Bridge Union - http://www.ebu.co.uk/publications/FAQ/History.htm]

Committees

Tournament Committee

The tournament committee is responsible for all aspects of the EBU's programme of tournaments, other competitions and the master points scheme.

Laws and Ethics Committee

The laws and ethics committee is the national authority for the game of duplicate contract bridge in England, when played under the auspices of the EBU. It has three principal functions: it is the final EBU appeal body for appeals arising under the laws of the game; it is the principal disciplinary body of the EBU, hearing complaints against members; and it is organises publication of the Orange Book, which contains regulations for the conventions and agreements permitted in different classes of competition, and other directives which supplement the laws of the game.

International Selection committee

The EBU selection committee is responsible for all aspects of England's international representation. It determines the format of trials for major international championships, for the home international series and seeding for some domestic events.

Education

The EBU Teachers' Association (commonly known as EBUTA) promotes and supports bridge teaching by EBU qualified members. By improving the quantity and quality of bridge teaching, it aims to increase the number of people who play and enjoy bridge and thereby increase membership of the EBU. EBUTA provides information, advice and training to qualified and prospective bridge teachers.

Juniors

The English Bridge Union believes strongly in supporting and encouraging young bridge players, as the future of the game. They have a Youth Officer and a Youth committee to further service the needs of junior bridge.

Master Point scheme

The EBU master point is a means of recognising individual lifetime achievement in EBU organised competitions at club, country and national level. It began in September 1956. Points are awarded to the top one third of competitors and the higher the level of competition the greater the number of points awarded. This scheme has been criticised for rewarding the persistent player ("the more you play the more points you earn") particularly in editorials and the letters pages of the magazine [http://www.mrbridge.co.uk "Bridge"] .

More information

*Duplicate bridge
*Contract bridge

References

External links

* [http://www.ebu.co.uk EBU home page]